Palmer, Gibson earn diving berths for U.S.

INDIANAPOLIS — The U.S. has named its first divers to the Olympic team, with newcomers Krysta Palmer and Alison Gibson earning berths in women’s 3-meter synchronized.

Palmer and Gibson, who entered the finals with a 21-point lead over second-place Kassidy Cook and Sarah Bacon, consistently hit their dives in the final round, finishing with 899.82 points on Thursday night in Indianapolis. They had a higher degree of difficulty than their competitors.

Cook, a 2016 Olympian, and Bacon finished with 871.5 points. Samantha Pickens and Carolina Sculti took third at 804.18.

Palmer and Gibson recently added a forward 2½ somersault with two twists pike, a dive rarely performed by women individually. The pair is currently the only women’s synchro team to include it.

Palmer and Gibson will compete Saturday in individual 3-meter springboard.

The men’s 3-meter and women’s 10-meter synchro finals are Friday night.